Health insurance premiums continue to grow at a moderate pace, but to most people, it doesn’t feel that way.

The continued tension between wage growth and health care costs was highlighted in an annual survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which reported Tuesday that premiums for family coverage this year rose an average 4 percent compared with 2012.

Still, the rise is a pittance compared with a decade ago, when annual premium increases were measured in double digits, Drew Altman, the foundation’s president, said during a news conference.

Since 2003, health insurance premiums have risen by 80 percent, according to the foundation. During the same period, wages grew by 31 percent and inflation was 27 percent.

Plus, the 2013 growth rate is similar to what it’s been for the past few years, according to the foundation’s survey of more than 2,000 employers.

But the perception is different, Altman said. A recent poll by the California-based foundation, for example, suggests the majority of Americans think health costs are rising faster than usual.

“Over time, what people pay for health care has so significantly eclipsed the increase in their wages and inflation,” Altman said, noting that worker wages are up just 1.8 percent this year while the general inflation rate is 1.1 percent. “I suppose you can’t blame the public.”

The average annual premium for family coverage in an employer-sponsored health plan this year is $16,351. In the typical plan, employees pay $4,565 for family coverage, the survey found, while employers pay $11,786, according to the survey by the foundation and a nonprofit group affiliated with the American Hospital Association.

The average annual premium for single coverage is $5,884, according to the survey, up 5 percent from last year.

Health insurance policies this year again include higher deductibles, meaning people are paying more out-of-pocket when they use health care services.

It’s these higher deductibles, as well as changes in how doctors and hospitals are caring for patients, that likely are contributing to the relatively low growth rate in premiums, Altman said. Another factor, he said, has been the slow economy, which has lessened demand for some health care services.

It’s unclear how premiums in Minnesota compare.

In April, the Minnesota Council of Health Plans reported that per-person spending on health care in the state jumped in 2012, which suggested premiums this year might jump as well. But state-level data on premium trends in 2013 was not available.

As for the future, researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation stopped short of making predictions.

Key provisions of the federal health care overhaul of 2010, known as the Affordable Care Act, will be implemented next year, but many of the changes won’t affect employer-sponsored health insurance, said Gary Claxton, a vice president with the Kaiser foundation.

The health law prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions, for example, but the change affects the market for people who buy policies for themselves without the help of an employer.

“Most of the coverage expansions will be in the non-group market,” Claxton said.

The survey also noted considerable optimism among employers for the ability of employee wellness programs to keep costs in check. More than one-third of employers surveyed said they thought the programs were an effective strategy for controlling costs.

The programs help employees identify issues with their health and engage in healthier behaviors, often through programs that promote better diets and exercise. The Affordable Care Act allows for broader use of financial incentives by employers to encourage workers to participate in wellness programs.

Minneapolis-based hospital operator Allina Health System is one employer that will be reviewing whether to expand its wellness program once new health law rules go into effect next year, said Jodi Morris, an Allina benefits manager.

Currently, Allina gives many of its employees the chance to reduce premiums by up to $1,014 per year for an individual if they have success controlling six health risk factors such as body fat and nicotine use.

“Over the last four years, we’ve seen a 2 percent to 4 percent (growth) trend for our medical and pharmacy costs,” Morris said. “We feel like the wellness program helps keep those costs down.”

Such programs can be controversial with workers. SEIU Healthcare, a union that represents about 350 workers at a subset of Allina’s clinics, has criticized the wellness program; the union claimed in a recent news release that the program “discriminate(s) based on genetic factors outside a person’s control.”

Still, employer interest in wellness programs is growing, said Ken Dixon of Medica, a health insurance company based in Minnetonka.

“Health costs have continued to escalate, and employers continue to look for strategies to successfully address that,” Dixon said.

But that doesn’t mean there’s proof that the programs actually do contain costs, said Altman of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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